Pakistan Taliban grants
politician 'amnesty' for anti-Islam film bounty
The
Pakistani Taliban said Wednesday that they were granting cabinet minister
Ghulam Ahmad Bilour “amnesty” because he offered a $100,000 bounty for the
killing of the filmmaker behind a notorious anti-Islam video. The Taliban
officially removed the railways minister from their list of assassination
targets, the AP reported. The Pakistani government earlier said that the bounty
reflected Bilour's personal view, and was not official policy. A splinter group
of the Afghan Taliban known as the Dadullah Group has also offered a bounty –
eight kilograms of gold – to anyone who kills the film's creators.
Yemeni President sets conditions
for dialogue with Al-Qaeda militants
Yemeni
President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi said he is prepared for dialogue with Al-Qaeda
militants, providing they disarm. “We would consider dialogue on condition that
they give up their weapons, announce their repentance... and stop protecting
armed groups,” he said Tuesday evening. Hadi, currently on his first tour of
Western nations, said he would take part in the fourth ‘Friends of Yemen’
meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday in New York City on the sidelines
of the UN General Assembly. Yemen is relying on international aid during its
transition period and for its battles with Al-Qaeda-linked groups in the
country.
'Moon River' singer Andy Williams
dies
Emmy-winning
TV host and ‘Moon River’ crooner Andy Williams died at age 84 Tuesday night at
his home in Branson, Missouri, following a year-long battle with cancer, his
publicist Paul Shefrin said on Wednesday. The Iowa native began singing with
his brothers as a child. He became world famous for his rendition of ‘Moon
River.’ His other hits included ‘Butterfly,’ and ‘Can't Get Used to Losing
You.’ Williams built his namesake theater in Branson in 1992.
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UK grants Abu Hamza temporary
reprieve against extradition
A senior
UK judge granted a temporary ban on radical Islamist cleric Abu Hamza's
extradition to the US after he requested a High Court injunction on the case.
The Judicial Office said a second terror suspect, Khaled al-Fawaz, was also
granted a temporary injunction against his extradition. The temporary reprieve
will allow time for a full hearing to decide whether the pair’s case will proceed.
The two men and three other suspects previously failed in their final appeal to
the European Court of Human Rights. Hamza is charged in the US with taking 16
hostages in Yemen in 1998, advocating jihad in Afghanistan in 2001 and
conspiring to establish a jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon, in 2000 and 2001.
UN nuclear agency head Amano up
for new term
Director
General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano will seek
a new four-year term next year, the organization announced Wednesday. Western
diplomats expect that Amano, a key figure in international diplomacy over
Iran's controversial nuclear program, to be reappointed without complications,
Reuters reported. “I don't expect anyone will challenge him,” a European
diplomat said, adding that Amano has been “very firm” on Iran. The 35-nation
governing board of the IAEA will decide on Amano’s forthcoming term by June of
next year. The agency set a December 31 deadline for the nomination of
candidates on Monday; Amano is the only confirmed candidate so far.
Saudi Arabia frees Shiite cleric
allegedly arrested for protest
Saudi
authorities released a Shiite cleric 24 hours after his arrest in the country’s
Eastern Province, home to the kingdom's minority Shiite population. Sheikh
Hussein Radhy’s supporters confirmed that the cleric was released. They claimed
police arrested Sheikh Radhy at his home in the eastern town of Amran on Monday
night for participating in protests against an infamous anti-Islam film last
week. Interior ministry spokesperson Mansur al-Turki told AFP he was “not
aware” of the arrest, adding that the cleric was likely brought in “just for
questioning.”
Roadside bomb kills Pakistani
soldier, wounds 15
On
Wednesday, a Pakistani soldier was killed and 15 others were wounded by a
roadside bomb targeting a military convoy in the country’s tribal region near
the Afghan border. The bomb was planted along the route of a convoy of the
paramilitary Frontier Corps in Spinwam, AFP reported. One vehicle in the
20-truck convoy was struck by the blast. The attack occurred roughly 40
kilometers north of Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan region.
After the incident, army troops conducted a house-to-house search for
militants.
Two million displaced by India
floods
Floods
in northeastern India forced some two million people to flee their homes, the
disaster management agency for Assam state reported on Wednesday. “The total
number of people displaced has gone up to two million, and 18 people are dead
so far in the third wave of flooding,” the agency said. Defense ministry spokesperson
S. S. Phogat said that rains and strong river currents hampered rescue and
relief operations by soldiers and Indian Air Force helicopters, AFP reported.
Despite the severe weather, helicopters made eight to ten daily sorties each,
airdropping up to 1.5 tons of food and relief supplies during each trip.
Court jails daughter of
imprisoned Bahraini activist
Zainab
al-Khawaja, daughter of the imprisoned leading Shiite activist Abdulhadi
al-Khawaja, was jailed for two months Wednesday for tearing up a picture of
Bahrain’s king. She was arrested at a protest in August as it was dispersed by
security forces. “Usually sentences for such crimes are just fines,” Reuters
quoted defense lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi as saying. She faces eight more charges
related to participating in protests. Her father went on a hunger strike for
more than three months earlier this year in protest against his imprisonment.
Italy expels two Libyans over
suspected extremist ties
Italy
expelled two Libyan men suspected of belonging to a Salafist extremist group.
The men, aged 26 and 28, arrived several months ago for medical treatment. They
were reportedly injured in fighting during the fall of the regime of Muammar
Gaddafi, AFP said. Police arrested them in different hotels in Rome on Thursday
and Saturday, and said that anti-terrorist unit DIGOS observed the men’s
"radical behavior" and their aggressive attitude towards other
Libyans.
French student, 5 others on trial
in Turkey on extremism charges
French-Turkish
university student Sevil Sevimli went on trial in Turkey on Wednesday for
alleged ties to an illegal far-left extremist group. She appeared in court in
the northwestern city of Bursa along with five other defendants, AFP reported.
Born in France to Turkish Kurd parents, the 20-year-old Sevimli was arrested in
May while she was in Turkey, and spent three months in jail until her
conditional release in August. All six defendants are accused of having links
with the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), which is
classified as a terrorist group in the US and the EU.
Five killed in Iraq bomb attacks
Roadside
bombs targeting Iraqi police killed five people on Wednesday. Two explosives
struck an area roughly 40 kilometers north of Hilla, south of Baghdad, AFP
reported. The bombings killed police Lieutenant Colonel Salman Kadhim
al-Khazraji, two other officers and a civilian, police and medics said. Two
police officers were also wounded. Another officer was killed and one wounded
by a roadside bomb targeting a checkpoint in a village near Balad, north of the
capital. The previous day, a wave of attacks against security forces killed
nine police and soldiers and injured 11.
African National Congress’ Malema
charged with money laundering
On
Wednesday, a South African court announced money laundering charges against
Julius Malema, a firebrand politician of the ruling African National Congress
(ANC). No other charges were filed, Reuters reported. Malema was accused of
abusing his former position as head of the ANC’s Youth League. Malema and his
supporters alleged that the charges are politically motivated.
Bus falls into river in India’s
Maharashtra, 17 killed
Seventeen
people were reportedly killed when a public transit bus fell off a bridge and
plunged into a river in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Several schoolchildren
were feared dead in the accident in Maharashtra's Buldhana district. The bodies
of the driver, an assistant and some of the children were recovered, NDTV
reported.
6.2 earthquake rocks Mexico's
Baja Peninsula
A
magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula
on Tuesday and sparked panic, Reuters said. No damage or injuries were
reported. The quake's epicenter was 46 miles north of La Paz, Mexico, in the
Gulf of California, the US Geological Survey said. School was suspended across
the state on Wednesday, and other public buildings will also be closed for
damage assessments.
Brazilian court orders YouTube to
remove anti-Islam film
A state
court in Sao Paulo, Brazil, issued a ruling banning the anti-Islam Internet
video that sparked protests across the Muslim world. The court gave YouTube 10
days to take down the clip, Reuters reported. The suit against YouTube was
filed by a Brazilian Muslim group, the National Islamic Union. Sao Paulo is
home to a large Middle Eastern immigrant community. The court’s ruling came
hours after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff gave a speech at the UN blasting
“Islamophobia” in Western countries.
Former Japanese PM Abe becomes
leader of opposition party
Former
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a Wednesday election for the presidency of the
main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The former PM defeated
ex-defense chief Shigeru Ishiba in a runoff election by a vote of 108-89, the
AP said. Abe, 59, known for his hawkish and nationalist stances, was prime
minister for a year before abruptly resigning in 2007. During his campaign for
the LDP’s top seat, Abe took a hard line against China in the territorial
dispute over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. He may lead Japan if
the LDP wins the most seats in the next election.
8 dead as ferry sinks in
Indonesia
The
ferry Bahuga Jaya sank after colliding with the South African freighter Norr
Gastar in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, roughly six kilometers off the port of
Bakahuni, Sumatra. At least 208 passengers and crew members escaped the Bahuga
Jaya, the Indonesian Transportation Ministry reported. Rescue operations are
ongoing, as the exact number of passengers aboard the ship is unknown. There
are no reports on whether the tanker involved in the accident was damaged.
China, Japan foreign ministers
discuss island dispute
The
foreign ministers of China and Japan held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines
of the UN General Assembly to discuss their dispute over islands in the South
China Sea. The talks between China's Yang Jiechi and his Japanese counterpart
Koichiro Gemba became the highest-level meeting since Japan nationalized the
islands, causing a wave of protests in China. On Tuesday, Taiwan also weighed
in, sending a flotilla of fishing boats that was dispersed by Japan’s
coastguard. Meanwhile, the vice foreign ministers of both countries also met in
Beijing on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Nine dead, nine injured in fuel
tank collision in Philippines
At
least nine people have been killed, and nine injured in the Philippines after a
bus packed with people hit a fuel truck. At least forty people were onboard a
bus when the driver tried swerving to avoid hitting a motorcycle, instead
colliding head-on with a fuel tank. Petrol was spilled onto the streets, but
firefighters prevented it from igniting. The crash in Nueva Ecija province
north of Manila killed both vehicles' drivers and the motorcyclist.
6.2 Earthquake shakes Mexico
Mexico's
Baja Peninsula has been struck with 6.2-magnitude earthquake, according to the
US Geological Survey. The epicenter was located 38 miles north of La Paz,
Mexico, offshore in the Gulf of California. There are no immediate reports of
casualties.
Kenya bombards Somalia in
anti-militant act
Kenyan
fighter jets have attacked the airport in Kismayo, Somalia. "Our forces
have reached Kismayo with jets and they have destroyed the armoury and a
warehouse used by the Shebab at the airport," Kenyan Army spokesman Cyrus
Oguna told reporters, referring to a local al-Qaeda affiliate group. No
casualties have been reported, but local residents reported at least three
heavy blasts near the airport, where extremists are allegedly operating. Shebab
militants have lost most of their strongholds in Somalia to the 17,000-troop
African Union force, which includes Kenya. Kismayo, the last remaining bastion
of extremism, has been the number one target for the African Union forces ever
since troops and tanks crossed the Kenyan border almost a year ago. Kenyan
soldiers are still some 40 kilometers from Kismayo.
Germany drafts male circumcision
law
Germany
has outlined a federal circumcision law after a local court banned the
practice. June’s Cologne court decision to ban circumcision insulted both
Muslims and Jews, with doctors across the country refusing to carry out the
procedures because of possible legal action. The draft bill states that the
operation will be carried out with parental consent, and "with the most
effective pain relief possible." If the baby boy is less than six months
old, the operation can be performed by another qualified religious
representative. About 120,000 Jews are registered as living in Germany, along
with around 4 million Muslims.
California governor signs
driverless cars bill
California's
Governor Jerry Brown has signed new legislation paving the way for driverless
cars in the state. The bill creates safety and performance regulations to test
and operate autonomous vehicles, and will require vehicles operating
autonomously to have a licensed driver behind the wheel in case of emergency.
In February, Nevada became the first US state to approve regulations to test
driverless cars on that state's roads. Internet giant Google and carmakers such
as Audi AG, BMW AG, Ford and Volvo have been working on autonomous car
technology for years.
China’s first aircraft carrier
enters service
China
has introduced its first aircraft carrier into service, showcasing its naval
might amid heightened tensions with Japan over a disputed island group in the
East China Sea. “The aircraft carrier will play an important role in China's
settlement of islands disputes and defense of its maritime rights and interests,”
Li Jie, a Chinese naval expert, told People’s Daily. The 300-meter-long
Liaoning is a refurbished Soviet ship purchased from Ukraine. The premiere of
the new vessel serves as a display of national prestige, making China a member
of the nine-nation club of carrier-equipped navies.
Brazil orders arrest of country’s
top Googler
The
head of Google's operations in Brazil is to be arrested for not cooperating
with local election laws after the company failed to take down YouTube videos
offensive to a local mayoral candidate. A judge had ordered the arrest of Fabio
Jose Silva Coelho, unless the materials attacking a local candidate were
removed. "Google is appealing the decision that ordered the removal of the
video on YouTube because, as a platform, Google is not responsible for the
content posted to its site," the company said through a spokesman in
Brazil.
ATV spacecraft fails to undock
from ISS
The
European Space Agency’s Edoardo Amaldi Automated Transfer Vehicle 003 (ATV-3)
resupply spacecraft has failed to undock from the International Space Station
on Tuesday night, the Moscow region-based Mission Control Center said. It is
still unknown why the spacecraft did not undock as scheduled at 22:35 GMT, the
agency said. ATV-3 arrived at the ISS at the end of March, carrying almost
seven tons of cargo. During its mission the spacecraft readjusted the orbit of
the ISS five times, with one failed attempt on August 15, when the ATV raised
the station’s orbit by 5 kilometers instead of 7.7 kilometers.
Freedom of expression must be
used responsibly - Morsi to Clinton
Egyptian
President Mohammed Morsi says freedom of speech must be used responsibly.
Speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative and addressing the wave of violence
seen in the Arab World over an Islamophobic video produced in the United
States, Morsi condemned the violent acts of some demonstrators. Earlier in a
meeting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Morsi stressed that protecting
American diplomatic missions on Egyptian territory was his government's duty.
Clinton and Morsi also addressed improving security in the Sinai Peninsula and
helping the Egyptian economy. Clinton also urged Egypt to improve
communications with Israel.
EU to impose new sanctions on
Iranian trade and finance
French
President Francois Hollande has told the UN General Assembly that the EU is
ready to impose new sanctions on Iran to force it back to the negotiating table
over its controversial nuclear energy program. On the sidelines of the meeting,
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius explained that the sanctions will be “on
the financial and trade side.” This year the EU has already banned oil trade
with Iran following US sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic’s banking
sector. However, since Russia and China are opposed to the idea, the
possibility of any sanctions on the level of the UN Security Council is rather
slim, UN diplomats say.
Lebanon captures illegal arms
shipment to Syria
The
Lebanese army has seized a truck smuggling weapons into bordering Syria.
According to the report, troops arrested a Lebanese man and six Syrians who
entered the country illegally trying to traffic military equipment including
hand grenades and communication devices. The poorly-demarcated Syrian-Lebanese
border has witnessed a number of violations since trouble in Syria began in
March 2011. Lebanon and Syria share a 330-kilometer border, but have yet to
agree on official demarcation.
Spain's Catalonia to hold early
elections
The
Spanish region Catalonia, home to Barcelona, will hold early elections on
November 25, regional president Artur Mas announced Tuesday. The autonomous
region comprises one fifth of the Spanish economy, but is also the country’s
most indebted region. Barcelona’s call for greater tax autonomy was rejected
last week by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, triggering Mas to demand an early
vote in front of the Catalan Parliament. "The time has come to exercise
the right to self-determination. We do not have to justify who we are. We want
the same instruments that other nations have to preserve our common
identity," Mas told the assembly. His conservative Convergence and Union
(CiU) party is expected to win an absolute majority in the elections,
consolidating his mandate to pursue the region’s independence from Spain. Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy is urging national unity in an effort to secure its
public finances. Last month, Catalonia was required to contribute five billion
euro to the central government to help it deal with its 40-billion-euro debt.
Italian PM will not run in
elections
Italian
Prime Minister Mario Monti will not run for reelection in the country’s spring
vote. "I will not run for the elections," he told CNN. “I think it's
important that the whole political game resumes in Italy, hopefully with a
higher degree of responsibility and maturity." Polls suggest Italy’s
elections may lead to a government coalition that would shirk commitment to
Monti’s budget policies. However, Rome is on track to lower its deficit to
within the European Union limit this year, and is adamant to reduce the EU’s
second-biggest debt in 2013.
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